30 Days of Night: Dark Days 2010

It’s been over a year since the Alaskan town of Barrow suffered a devastating attack by a group of vampires during its annual month-long sunset. Stella, played by Kiele Sanchez, is haunted by the grief of losing her husband, Eben, and has been consumed by nightmares, leaving her engulfed in feelings of hate and sorrow. Her quest to prove the existence of vampires has led her around the globe, feeling continuously hunted and emotionally void since Eben’s death.

After receiving cryptic directions from a mysterious man named Dane, she finds herself in Los Angeles. During a lecture aimed at convincing an audience of skeptics about the existence of vampires, Stella takes a daring step by activating ultraviolet lamps, incinerating several vampires in attendance and shocking the humans. This bold act leads to her arrest and a troubling encounter with FBI Agent Norris, who turns out to be a ‘familiar’—one of many humans who unknowingly serve the vampires’ agenda by covering up their activities. Following a release with the admonition to remain silent, she returns to her hotel only to be confronted by Paul (played by Rhys Coiro), Amber (Diora Baird), and Todd (Harold Perrineau), sent by Dane to recruit her for a perilous mission.

Their target is the vampire queen Lilith, the true force behind the vampire’s lethal maneuvers. Stella learns that her involvement in the Barrow incident made her a key player in their fate. Although she is initially hesitant, Paul’s personal connection—a tragedy involving his daughter—ultimately spurs her on to join their cause. As they journey together to locate a vampire nest, the group faces dire consequences. In a brutal turn of events, Todd is bitten and succumbs to the vampire curse, forcing Stella to take desperate measures to protect them by killing him.

Under the cover of night, they manage to escape, capturing a non-English-speaking vampire in the process. Interrogating him leads them to another nest where they rescue a human being utilized as a feeding source and learn of Lilith’s lair on a ship in the bay. Tensions rise when Stella and Paul grow closer, while Lilith’s own sinister machinations unfold as she transforms Norris into a vampire after consuming an innocent victim, Stacey (Katharine Isabelle).

As the battle intensifies, tragedy strikes when Dane is killed by Norris, forcing Stella and the remaining survivors to take refuge on a ship intended for the vampires’ feeding spree. They soon discover the terrifying capability of resurrecting vampires, creating even more dire circumstances. The tension peaks as they confront the ship’s captain and face dire consequences leading to Amber’s shocking death.

In a moment of fierce survival, Stella fights back against Norris, managing to free herself and killing him but is confronted by the fearsome Lilith. In a climactic battle, Stella ultimately decapitates the queen, only to find that the remaining vampires permit her to leave without contest. Returning to Barrow, a flicker of hope emerges as Stella attempts to resurrect Eben by feeding him her blood; however, the outcome is heart-wrenching. She lies dying from blood loss only to find Eben has returned—a moment that transforms into a tragic twist as he reveals his true nature, leading to her demise just as the screen fades to black.